Renard Wireless

J

JLStout

New member
So I am trying to add my neighbors across the street to my show. I bought 4 xbee modules and 4 of the xbee snap in assemblies from dirknerkles store. I have 3 houses in my show now, each running on its own serial port. I want to run the house across the street on its own port as well. What do I need to plug an xbee transmitter into a serial port? I don't want to run it off the end of an existing board, but directly from my com port. Couldn't find anything on dirknerkles store. Looked on the spark fun website, but I am not sure what I need.
 
The same Sparkfun XBee Explorer USB you can program it with, can/will become its own serial port under windows that can be set to an output.
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11812
(usb cable not included) Mine use the fatter one than the common one used to charge a phone with.

Make sure you also set the baud in windows to same speed as the x-bees are running.
 
The explorer board that klyneshouse mentioned works like a charm. It even has a power on and data stream indicator to help with troubleshooting.
 
Another quick question. The cut lines on the pcb from dirkknerle is just to break the circuit trace at different spots for different boards?
 
I'm not familiar with that new red one, the older ones used to fit a SS board without cutting.
I believe that cutting is necessary for it to now physically fit on a SS board.
The header section cut out would be used for only the 5-pin Renard Plus type controllers.
 
JLStout said:
Another quick question. The cut lines on the pcb from dirkknerle is just to break the circuit trace at different spots for different boards?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's correct. If you cut the board to fit down onto the RS485 chip of the SS24, for example, then you're cutting off the 5-pin header and it can't be used with a different controller such as a Renzilla. This is making the assumption that once you add wireless to an SS24, you'll just leave it wireless. You'd could remove the outbound RJ45 jack on the SS24 and then you wouldn't have to trim the Snap-In adapter.

Alternately, you can use Dupont cables to connect the Snap-In to the SS24 -- it's not rocket science and that's been outlined elsewhere here in one of the forums...

If you're looking for USB-TTL adapters you might check either the DIGWDF Store or the Renard-Plus shop (renard-shop.com) as either of them might have them in stock...
 
Another quick question. For connecting to SS8 board, do I need to cut the whole corner off including the 5 pin header? It also says later in the instructions to put jumper on to jump to pin 4 of 5 pin header if you want to transmit. Is that only for Ren +?
 
I know just enough about Xbee's to use them in my light show and they have been real workhorses to make it easier to run
my show. I was browsing the internet today and saw these. I know nothing technical about them or how to use them but
wondered if they could be used to wirelessly transmit signals for controlling pixels, or even Renard type channel data.
Just throwing it out there for someone smarter than me to look at in their spare time and see if this is something that could
help others in our hobby! https://www.seeedstudio.com/Grove-L...=20210311&mc_cid=281b6f97c2&mc_eid=a529883f1e
 
Those are long range modules, which typically are too slow to work with blinky-flashy and especially pixels.
 
I have about 20 miniren 8 controllers down my street for each of the neighbors. Using xbee transmit through explorer and directional antennas. Great connection about 3 blocks away. Been running this way for about 4 years.

HawksburyLights on Facebook
 
bigdaddyh said:
I have about 20 miniren 8 controllers down my street for each of the neighbors. Using xbee transmit through explorer and directional antennas. Great connection about 3 blocks away. Been running this way for about 4 years.

HawksburyLights on Facebook
Click to expand...

You may be the guy im looking for, i have a buttload of Xbee stuff, modules, ,snap in, antennas, I would like to see them go to a good home, you pay shipping you can have them all for free if you like. I will take a picture of what i have and show ya.
 
dim bulb, I'd like to get some extra hardware if you have it. I'll send my email via private message. I have a neighbor that brought me his Ren32 that I added xbee snap in for and it's all corroded and not working. I hit ukewarrior up to see if he has some PCB sitting around.
 
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